The Tangled Webs We Weave
by Allegra Selene
Summary: Sequel to Maybe There Is Hope After All. Two years on, the daughter of William Stryker is growing up and adjusting to her new life. However, forces are at work to halt this happiness. Can Sienna and all the people she cares for survive?
1. Danger Room Escapades

All characters not mentioned in the X-Men movies, comic books or by other fanfiction writers are the property of Alison Crawford. Please respect this and ask before you use any of my original characters. That means Sienna Stryker, AKA Chimera is owned and created entirely by this author. Please respect this disclaimer and ask before using....

Chapter 1:

Sienna was lounging on the couch of the senior student's common room with her legs up in the air and crossed at the ankles carelessly. Her long hair flew along the end of the sofa down to the floor in waves of magenta, blue and black. Chewing a wad of gum loudly, she was a far cry from the terrified mutant of the past at the mercy of her cruel father William Stryker. Perhaps the death of the bigot father at Alkali Lake had changed her, perhaps it was the realisation that she was no longer ruled by his memory or the cruelty wreaked on her by Stryker. She had finally realised that Sienna Stryker was the master of her own destiny, free to change her life forever. In fact, she had tried to get Xavier to let her change her name but he had refused flatly. So, Sienna had begun to change into a rebel of sorts, changing her clothing style, dying her hair various wild colours, getting a belly button ring and two earring holes in each ear, getting a tattoo, chewing large wads of gum and passing notes in class. In fact, she had become more provocative altogether, opting for clothes with just a little too much skin showing and a flippant attitude that peeked through at times. The reversal of the brain damage inflicted on her had helped her learn how to sleep properly and she soon relished her sleep time.

The staff had viewed the mutation in behaviour and appearance with mixed reactions. Storm had smiled a mysterious smile when she had seen the first dye job and while she didn't approve of a few changes, she was not against them. In fact, she had once told the Professor that this was something they could not reverse. Scott had seemed angry at first but had eventually resigned himself to the changing hair and manner, though she had received quite a few lectures from him for chewing gum. The newly appointed Havok had shared his brother's hesitation but had flipped when she came back with a belly button ring. Nightcrawler was the most opposed to the changes, a surprise considering his angelic scars. The two mutants had gotten into a big fight over it and he had teleported away and refused to speak to her for a week. Xavier, with his usual tact had ignored it completely and Wolverine had simply nodded and complimented her on her new look. When Jean had come back from Alkali and seen the new hair colour, she had reacted with vague interest but had not really noticed any of the further changes.

But no matter the reactions of the students or the faculty, Sienna had simply gone ahead and made them. Most often, she had reacted flippantly and simply pushed them away. So it was that she was lounging on the couch twisting a lock of thick dyed hair and thinking about something important, her relationship with Kurt Wagner, aka the Elf in Institute slang. The two had been slightly close before Alkali but their relationship took on a new edge as Kurt adjusted to life here. He had started teaching German and the two were officially dating, although Kurt sometimes hinted at something more but had always joked about it. Sienna had found herself attracted to the blue-skinned mutant and he had returned her affection with twice the amount of romantic interest. As Sienna mused on their relationship silently, she saw a pair of booted feet stop in front of her reclining form. Looking up, she smiled at Wolverine as he leaned against the doorframe and regarded the increasingly chameleon-like Sienna with a quizzical look.

"What are you grinning at, Wolvy?" asked Sienna as she sat up and began to braid the thick, wool-like strands and fasten them with beads.

Logan smiled. "Hey 'Enna, the Danger Room is free. Want a go?"

Pausing as she tightened the last braid, Sienna's eyes sparkled briefly before she vaulted off the couch. Walking past, she brushed against him as her scent wrapped him in its sensuous tones. Breathing in the smell of cinnamon and vanilla, Logan laughed and walked to the locker rooms where his suit was located.

---

Suiting up, he entered the danger room and bent over the controls module as he loaded a sentinel program. The sentinels had become more prevalent lately and they needed practise to keep on top of their opponents. Stretching his hands inside the gloves, Logan unsheathed the claws and then sheathed them back into his knuckles with a slight wince. Turning at a noise, he gasped as Sienna walked in. Gone was her old uniform, instead she had on a slim, form-fitting suit over body armour. The suit was jet-black with the belt buckle a glowing orange X and showing off all her curves to full affect. Around her forehead was a diadem that wrapped around her forehead carefully with small jewels and the gloves she wore were fingerless and similar to Remy's normal gloves. Finally, the heels of the boots she wore were tall and carried a lethal point and hidden blades. Twirling slowly, Sienna showed it off and smiled at him.

"You like?" she asked cheekily as Logan gaped and then forced his jaw up. Logan only nodded and she giggled slightly before freezing in place as the program kicked in and the form of a gigantic sentinel materialised in the room. Eying it carefully and at a nod from Logan, Sienna ran towards the creature but at the last moment flipped onto its back and grabbed it as she cracked its eye with one foot. Rearing, the creature tried to buck her off but she held on tight until the creature flipped her off and she landed on her feet, cat-like and immediately got back up again. Blinded by the cracked eye, the sentinel charged at them and each jumped away. Logan unsheathed his claws and charged the Setinel with a war cry, ripping at the unprotected cords that controlled the robot. Slicing, the enraged mutant finished it off as it shudder and burst into flames. The wreckage dissipated into the atmosphere and another sentinel immediately took its place.

"Use your power," Logan ordered Sienna and she nodded before closing her eyes and concentrating on entering the heavily guarded mind of the robot. The creators had been so focused on the physical abilities of the robots that they left the mind of each open to mental attacks, a thing Sienna was quite happy to exploit. Moving her power into the computer that controlled the mind of the robot, Sienna began to mess with it but soon found herself up against bigger mental defences than she had anticipated. Trying to get herself and her astral psyche out of the defences and back into her own body, Sienna pushed against the walls that had built up and escaped through a small mental chink. As she did so, she sent one last attack at the computer and it hit the bullseye and made the robot stop functioning. With a shudder, the robot collapsed and short-circuited.

"I can't use my powers, Logan" Sienna screamed at Logan as the clink of the third setinel became evident in the air. "The mental shields are too strong and it tried to trap me in the mind. We're gonna have to try something else!"

Cursing loudly, Logan charged the setinel and tried to slice it like he had the first one but the third setinel was wilier and had learnt from the mistakes of the first two and swatted the mutant away. Landing heavily on the ground, Logan got up slowly as the healing factor began to work and Sienna ran to his side. Dragging him up, she was swatted away by the setinel as it charged them and lay dazed on the ground. Standing slowly, she saw the creature turn on Logan and one cybernetic arm rose to crush him.

"Logan!" Sienna screamed and raced towards the duelling pair. Pushing him out of the way, she was hit full force by the arm intended for Logan and was thrown across the room into the far wall. Hitting it hard, she made a sickening thump as she fell unconscious and rolled onto the floor of the Danger Room. Lying there, she looked like a rag doll forgotten by her owner and the image sent Logan into a full-force berserker rage. Killing the robot, he rushed to the girl and cradled her in his arms gently as the claws retracted then raced towards the medical lab. Laying her down on a bed, he grinned cockily as she opened her eyes slowly.

"Did we win?" she asked sleepily.

Logan nodded slowly. "We thrashed them, 'Enna..."

Smiling slowly, she closed her eyes and slipped back into unconscious. Placing an icepack on her head, Logan hunkered down to wait until she woke again.

---

Outside, a figure watched the incident and smiled crookedly. "Well, let us see how she handles the next test." Then, the figure laughed mockingly before dissipating into the shadows...


	2. Telepathy At Work

Chapter 2:

Sienna's injury was fleeting and she soon got back onto her feet and threw herself into her hectic class and social schedule as well as taking on a part-time job as Xavier's secretary. About three weeks after the danger room incident, however, she started to act rather strangely. She began to have memory lapses, slightly at first and then more noticeable as time went on. Headaches began to plague her at the most odd times, ones that sent excruciating jolts of pain through her body and her powers began to take control over her. The tendrils of manipulative shadows she so often used began to act very irrationally and spread out into others, sending her power levels haywire. So, she locked herself in her room and refused to come out, fearing that she might unintentionally use her powers and hurt someone, which made the staff rather worried for her sanity. It was as if she had reverted to the time she had been Stryker's test subject, refusing to speak to anyone and having waking nightmares. Jean had tried to reach her mind but had been jolted back as the girl unknowingly unleashed an illusion of the terrifying nature into the woman's mind. Xavier was the only one who could get through to the terrified and anti-social girl but even he was forced to limit his powers of telepathy so he decided to take action.

On morning, Sienna had refused to eat or drink anything, much to the concern of Storm who had tried to tempt her student with a gooey plate of choc-mint fudge the students had made for her. As she received no acknowledgement whatsoever, she sighed and walked to the Professor's office to cry. Comforting the woman, Charles closed his eyes and drifted his astral form towards the room where Sienna lay on the bed. Touching her mind softly, Xavier began to probe gently in her mind but was confronted with the psyche of Sienna. Unlike her physical form, the psyche still had the long, white hair and the presence of it was reeking of shadow.

:::What are you doing, Xavier? How dare you!::: screamed the psyche as she glared at him in fury.

Xavier frowned before answering. :::Sienna, tell me what is wrong. You have people who love you, care for you. Why have you shut yourself away?:::

The psyche frowned and crossed its arms moodily. ::: Professor, you don't understand what is happening to me. :::

Looking around, the astral form whispered to Xavier :::I think there's something wrong with me, I feel stretched, tired almost.:::

Xavier sighed in defeat. :::Do you want to come and talk to me about it?:::

The psyche nodded slowly and then the link fizzled and faded as Xavier blinked and then began to prepare for the meeting with Sienna....

---

Standing up, Sienna looked around and began to gather her journal for the meeting. Standing slowly, she placed a hand to her forehead in pain as her world began to spin out of control. Collapsing on the floor, she fainted and began to convulse on the carpet. Sinister laughing came from behind the door and out walked Mystique with a sedative in her hand. Poking the syringe into Sienna's shoulder, she injected it fully and the touched her skin. Slowly, the evil mutant began to take on the characteristics of the girl and strode off down the hall after passing the girl through the window into Toad's waiting arms...


	3. Mistaken Assassin

Chapter 3:

Xavier had been waiting for Sienna in his office, fiddling with his pen as he pondered the emotional setback of his promising student and the consequences for the Institute. Sienna had been exceptionally gaining ground, both in her schoolwork and in her emotional abilities as she struggled to control her gift of manipulation and illusionary ability. It had only seemed fitting that nature had given Stryker two children certainly more dangerous than he was. The apparent death of Jason had left Sienna the sole heir of Stryker's fortune and his devious nature, a role certainly in evidence in the Danger Room or during a game of paintball. Surprisingly, Sienna had remained largely intact mentally and had developed into the exact opposite of her father in most ways. While William had been incapable of love, it radiated from Sienna in large quantities. The girl was largely unscathed, despite her lack of any positive role-models or upbringing. The amount of control she had developed had been nearly complete before the incident in the Danger Room and throughout her time in the Institute she had displayed an attunement to her power that most others at her stage didn't have. But now, she had lost nearly any mental or emotional control she had built up over the years as a student. It was as if the last few years had been literally erased and Charles was worried.

As a soft knock sounded, Xavier smiled as what he perceived to be Sienna entered the office. In reality, it was mystique masquerading as the girl and in her satchel; she had a gun which was fully loaded and waiting to be used. Beckoning her over, he pushed the chair over and studied the perching Sienna carefully. Folding his hands together, he smiled at her as she fiddled with the satchel strap but shrugged the feeling of uneasiness away into the recesses of his mind and his smile faded.

"Sienna," he asked carefully, "what exactly did you mean by being tired, unwell?"

Sienna only rose and walked over to the window. Obscuring the view of her hands, she pulled out the pistol. Turning, she shot the man at point-blank range twice in the chest. Pulling the pistol down, she smiled and began to morph back before the eyes of Xavier. Constricting, the atoms of her body began to change and shift until she was red-headed and blue-skinned again, the shape-shifted mystique. Closing his eyes, Xavier fell unconscious and Mystique laughed before kicking him and sitting in a high-backed chair behind the mahogany desk.

---

Meanwhile, Jean Grey had been relaxing in the spa bath with her new husband when she heard a small echo through the astral plane and frowned. The frown was enough to make her husband look up quickly.

"Jean? What is it?" he asked carefully as she shook her head to sense the echo better but it had by now faded.

Jean shook her head in bewilderment and reached out her powers in the direction of the echo. Since her subsequent death and re-appearance, Jean had constantly been manifesting strange and powerful abilities that often took her by surprise and made her feel uneasy in using them. So, she probed the different rooms with her telepathic ability until she got to the top floor. Mystique had left long ago with a cackle so the only thing Jean found was the Professor lying injured and an open window. Turning to Scott in horror, Jean gasped. "The Professor's been hurt bad, Scott. Gunshot wounds..."

Gritting his teeth in anger, Scott changed a quickly as he could before racing up the stairs and into the office. Kneeling by the side of Xavier, he cradled the older man in his arms and tried to move him but the Professor shuddered and opened his eyes.

"Sienna...gunshot wounds...it's not what you think..." Then, he closed his eyes and lapsed back into unconsciousness as Scott yelled for Nightcrawler and Kitty. Waiting, he turned as Kitty phased through the walls and Kurt followed a few minutes later, his breathing rather heavy from the effort of running up three flights of stairs as fast as he could.

As Kitty knelt by her mentor in tears, Scott spoke as evenly and controlled as he could to stop alarm spreading. "Kitty, can you phase him into the medical lab? We need to get him medical attention..." Kitty nodded and started to use her power to move the two of them down the different flights as Scott turned to Nightcrawler.

Kurt," he asked slowly with anger now evident in his voice, "Xavier mentioned Sienna had shot him before he passed out..."

Kurt gaped and shook his head in utter disbelief. "Nein! She wouldn't, she couldn't..."

"She's your girlfriend, Kurt," Scott spoke sharply. "Don't try to protect her. She's in too deep as it is without you covering for her."

Kurt gave him a glare of anger. "Dat vould be a sin, Herr Summers. I am not covering for her, she would know better."

Scott sighed in annoyance. "Very well, then we must assemble a team to retrieve her. We will need you, Remy, Piotr, Logan, Rogue and Storm. See if Betsy's here as well, we'll meet at the Blackbird in our suits in twenty minutes. Anyone who you can't find will be left behind without warning. I'll get Jean myself and meet you there."

Walking off, he left Kurt numb and with a look of complete horror on his face. "Oh, liebchen, vhat have you done now?"


	4. Meeting With The Enemy

Chapter 4:

Magneto sat in a metal chair as he watched the door. Playing with a metal illusion toy aimlessly, he tapped his fingers on the surface of the metal desk in irritation. Nothing much happened these days between the Brotherhood and the X-Men, though this was about to change it all. As the doors finally opened, he watched indifferently as Sabretooth and Toad dragged in the well-known Sienna Stryker and deposited her on the floor in a heap. Magneto smiled as she dusted herself off and gave him a glare of chilly proportions. Getting up, he walked around her like a lion eying his prey and grabbed her arm only to receive a stinging slap. Rubbing his cheek, he felt a thin trickle of blood and fell back. Then, he shrugged and walked back as he eyed her cautiously and without a word.

Sitting down, he smiled in a shark-like way and motioned to the others to leave, which they did. Then, he spoke with authority as he fingered the toy again. "Well well, you certainly have some surprises in you, my captive. Most would quiver in fear at me but you do not. That is admirable, if I were in a worse mood I could have sent your body against the wall with a flick of my fingers. But, you show no fear and I admire that..."

Sienna snorted. "You are feeble if you think that is all I can do to you, Magneto. That was nothing, you shame yourself."

"Indeed," Magneto mused out loud. "That would be exactly why I have decided to recruit you into our group."

Sienna eyed him with contempt. "Join you? You are out of your mind, Lensherr, if you think that I would be persuaded to join you and your bunch of misguided misfits..."

Magneto cut her off. "I must be telepathic then, I knew you'd say that to some effect. That's why you have no choice..."

Brandishing a vial of milky-white substance, Eric injected it into the un-moving Sienna and laughed as her eyes slowly began to change white and myopic. The laughter soon stopped, however, when her eyes reverted back into their normal green colour, which was radiating contempt and rage at him. Shrugging, Sienna laughed bitterly before speaking to the still confused Magneto.

"It's small wonder you and my father are so alike. Both trying to wipe out the other race and each trying to control me that way, you've obviously learned now that you cannot control me. You should know by now that the Strykers are not controlled by the poison we secret, we are immune to its effects. There is no way to control me via my mind, my father tried it and he met with no success no matter how many times he tried it."

Magneto's face dropped a bit but soon brightened as Sienna's knees buckled and she fell. "Plan B, my dear. The reason you've been having so many problems is due to a bug I implanted in your danger room simulation. If you don't find a cure for it, it will kill you slowly and painfully. Hows that for controlling, eh? The setinel sim was too good to pass up..."

"You...monster!" Sienna screamed as she struggled to get onto her feet and charge him. The mutant only laughed and rang a bell as the two mutants from earlier walked in. As they dragged Sienna away, Magneto began to formulate something on his desk as he laughed evilly....


	5. In Sickness and In Death

Chapter 5:

Three days later, the X-Men found Sienna blindfolded and gagged in a deserted warehouse near the centre of New York. Untying her, they took the drugged girl back to the Mansion and deposited her in a holding cell with no contact from any of the students. Xavier was recovering well in the lab but the rest of the faculty were at a loss to explain why exactly Sienna had shot her mentor and principal so Scott contacted Hank one day and they went over the video footage. Pressing a few buttons, Hank activated the genetic scanning option and they soon discovered that "Sienna" was actually Mystique. So, a delegation was sent to the holding cell and found Sienna crouched on a corner of her bed with a faraway look in her dimmed eyes and her knees up to her chest. Holding up a hand as Scott tried to apologise, she stopped them and looked at the assembled group warily.

"Before you say anything else, listen to me. Magneto has planted a virus in the Setinel practise sim in the Danger room and has infected me with it. It is slowly killing me..."

Jean gasped and made as if to hug her but Sienna shook her head in warning. 'I don't know what it is and I don't know the cure. Magneto certainly enjoyed gloating about it but he disappeared before I could get the words out of his mouth. Please, just leave me alone in case it's transferable. Just...go!

Logan turned away slowly and marched off as the rest followed reluctantly. Closing the door quietly, Gambit eyed the other younger members of the team and then glanced back at the forlorn silhouette of Sienna crouched on the bed and staring out to space. Turning away, the man sighed and adjusted his sunglasses as he disappeared from view....

---

Months passed and Sienna became visibly paler, thinner and weaker to all who viewed her. Her naturally thin form became gaunt and hard edged so she took to wearing baggy clothing and often would cough up blood into a tissue. Her eyes took on a lifeless appearance and she dropped out of her classes and quit her job, keeping away from others. Most often, you could find her perched in a tree or clasped in Kurt's arms. Secretly, Kurt was worried out of his mind and often tried to tempt her to eat some of his cooking. He rarely left her side these days and soon became even more exhausted than his girlfriend, which was solved by both Remy and Logan tying Kurt to his bed physically so he could sleep. But, worse was to come...

One afternoon, Sienna simply collapsed in Kurt's arms and fell into a very deep, catatonic state that nobody could wake her from. Every empath, every telepath and every mentally powered mutant was frantically begged to alleviate her state but none succeeded. It was as if she had just decided to give up the fight and the poison began to flow through her weakened body more quickly every day. Logan had fled to the woods for a week after he received the news and Kurt could not be consoled as he sat next to her and begged Jesus and Mary for the return of Sienna's health. The rest of the Faculty and students were in a state of shock and disbelief bested only by the reaction to the death of Jean Grey. Xavier had once said that "the Institute was not just about the buildings, it was the hearts behind it" and that had become evident in this situation. But, despite all the efforts of her friends and teachers, Sienna simply got weaker and weaker and suffered heart attacks and dipping in vitals more frequently every week. Jean had taken it upon herself to keep Sienna alive and had latched onto her life essence, keeping it going even when the essence dipped dangerously towards death.

The medical laboratory had become in effect a complete beehive, with students popping in every five minutes and the staff looking in every so often after classes. They younger students had even written up a schedule for people who wanted to sit with Sienna and give Kurt a break and every student signed up. Then, those who were able took the younger students shopping and the others would cook tea for the school and bake treats to keep the morale up. Even the youngest of the students got in on the action, making get well cards for Sienna and blowing up balloons to cheer her room up. But, through it all Sienna remained completely catatonic and unaware of any touch, sensation or voice as the poison took a deeper and more malevolent hold of her every day...


	6. The Real Deal

Chapter 6:

Three weeks after Sienna's collapse, a small team met in Xavier's office to discuss the situation at hand. The team consisted of most of the faculty and Hank had been called in especially for this meeting, his knowledge of scientific and medical phenomenon evident in his mutated appearance and in his hands he held a large stack of papers and books as he shuffled through them absent-mindedly and then pushed his glasses up his nose irritably as he set the stack on a nearby desk. Regarding those seated around him, he smiled briefly before lapsing into thought. Nightcrawler had been too distraught to come to the meeting, he was down in the medical lab holding tightly to the hand of his love and whispering a Catholic chant in German. His misshapen fingers clutched her small, pale and lifeless hand as tears streaked down his face and soaked into his fur. That left Jean, Scott, Storm, Xavier and Logan as the team and they were all on edge, Logan most of all as could be seen by his agitated pacing of the room. Muttering to himself, his eyes darted around like some cornered animal and his rage was bubbling underneath the surface as his muscles tensed.

Turning on Hank suddenly, Logan yelled at him. "Hurry up you blue-skinned imbecile! Every second we spend dawdling we waste and that brings her closer to death. Do something, for God's sake!"

Xavier spoke sharply. "Logan, please. Hank will start when he is ready, you do not have to make things worse by roasting him alive."

Logan shook his head. "I need a cigarette." Then, he pulled one out and went to stand by the open window as he lit it and Jean gave him a look.

Hank nodded in relief and took a deep breath before speaking with as much control as he could muster. "I have, as you know, great scientific knowledge in the fields of genetics, diseases and medical matters. However, this poison is like nothing I have encountered before in my life. I liken it to a form of aggressive cancer or AIDS; it is eating up her body cells and waging war against her immune system. At the moment, it is a losing battle on her part. The body she lives in is tiring rapidly, becoming weaker as the poison grows. It's taking over..."

Storm spoke up in her quieter way and Logan turned to listen. "What can we do? Is there a cure?"

Hank sighed and pushed his glasses back up. "It would take months of research and experimentation to find some hope of a cure. Time we simply do not have."

Logan slammed his fist on the desk as he walked back over and made Jean jump violently. Xavier gave the feral-like mutant a chilling look before speaking. "Hank, we must try anything to save her. How much time do we have? How long can she last against the poison at this rate?"

"A month at best," Hank murmured.

Jean began to sob at this point and Scott gathered her in his arms as Storm looked out of the window with tears brimming in her eyes and Xavier tensed. Logan pushed the door open and literally ran from the room, cursing colourfully all the way as his eyes blazed in pure anger and rage. Hank bowed his head as the group followed Logan out of the room slowly. Jean was cradled in Scott's arms as he tried to cry but every tear was burnt up as soon as they left his eyes. Strom left out the window, her eyes turning white in anger and her form levitating in the air as the rain began to fall.

Soon, only Xavier and Hank were left in the room and Charles eyed Hank sadly. "Hank, start experimenting as soon as you can. We must save her life."

The scientist nodded and walked out as he finished gathering his materials together. Watching him go, Xavier began to sob into his hands...


	7. Alive

Chapter 7:

Hank soon started to experiment the very next day and worked around the clock to find a cure to the mystery disease. The chances were slim at best, impossible at worst but Hank refused to voice those thoughts or think on them as he scoured book after book, did calculation after calculation and called everyone he knew that could help. He refused to give up on the girl who had befriended him early on and counted her as one of his dearest friends. She had always made him feel happy and had helped with a few of his experiments, bringing gifts of fudge when he was busy and pressuring him to sleep. Now, he was racing against time to save his friend and it didn't look good. When he could be persuaded to eat, drink or sleep, he used the minimum amount of time to accomplish the task before racing back to the job. The students hadn't forgotten him though and the area he was working in was constantly being invaded by students who wanted to encourage him or help in some way. In fact, a six year old student even offered Hank her beloved teddy bear Mika as a test subject and that had made him giggle.

The condition of Sienna kept deteriorating however, her breathing grew slighter and weaker every day and her body temperature would rise and then fall dramatically in a matter of hours so Hank enlisted the help of bobby and John, aka Pyro and Iceman to bring her temperature back to normal levels whenever it took a dip or spiral. Every time Hank found a breakthrough, he would take a small sample of the substance and inject it into her bloodstream. Most often, there was no reaction but her condition never dipped when the substance was injected, which worried both Kurt and Hank. Logan had barricaded himself in his room, smoking cigar after cigar and drinking heavily until he passed out on the floor. The rest of the time, Logan would either throw things at the walls or remain morbidly silent as his red-rimmed eyes glared out at his surroundings.

---

Exactly three weeks after the meeting, Hank was testing a newer version of his latest antidote on the sample of Sienna's blood. Rubbing his tired eyes, he strained to stay awake but lost the battle. Slumping to the floor, he slept for a day then woke with a jolt. Looking down at the petri-dish, he blinked as the disease had totally vanished from the sample. Looking at the clock, he saw the time and then began to frantically consult his notes, grinning infectiously all the while as he mixed a larger batch of the antidote. Every so often, he would glance at the sample and smile as the dish remained clean every single time.

Grabbing the dosage, he rushed down the hall to the medical lab and burst through the doors. Pushing the startled Kurt out of the way, he injected the contents of the syringe into her bloodstream and then eyed the vitals monitor. To his glee, the vitals immediately began to rise and stabilise as Kurt began to sing praises to God in German and her heart pumped faster and faster until it settled into the proper rhythm. Over the next few hours of the day and through the night, she began to react to the antidote more and more as her immune system started to overpower and destroy the poison. The next morning, Kurt awoke to see the breathing of Sienna stable and as he sat there, her eyes slowly opened. Looking around, she saw the two blue-skinned mutants and her eyes flashed with understanding. Looking at Kurt specifically, she smiled slightly and spoke to him

"Kurt? Is that you, is it really you?"

Kurt's face convulsed in shock at the sound of her voice and rushed to her side. Taking her hand, he enveloped it in both of his and squeezed. Then, he enveloped her in a giant bear-hug and stroked her hair softly as he whispered thanks to God. Drawing away, he smiled at her with his pointed fangs and replied. "Ach, liebchen, you gave me a fright..."

Hank then walked over and looked down at his friend. "Indeed, you did give us all a fright. It is good to see you awake and smiling so soon. How do you feel?"

Sienna moaned softly. "My whole body feels like Sabretooth used me as his punching bag and then his scratching post. Ai, it hurts..."

"Rest then, my sweet" said Kurt in a mock-serious tone as he waggled a finger in front of her face. Sitting on the bed, he took her hand again as Hank walked away to alert the others of her awakening. "Sienna, you mean the world to me. I vas distraught ven you nearly died. Promise me you vill not put yourself in such danger again..."

Sienna nodded. "I promise, my love."

Setting the hand down on the bed sheets, Kurt told her sternly to sleep and hunkered down as she slipped back into sleep as she obeyed him. Moving to the door, Kurt looked back at her and smiled. He loved that mutant, loved her truly and deeply and he knew exactly what to do...


	8. Will You Marry Me?

Chapter 8:

A month later, Kurt pushed Sienna's wheelchair along the corridors of the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning as she rested up against three pillows. The long fight against the poison had left her physically drained and her body was expected to take years to recover as her body tried to adjust to the injuries. As a result, Sienna was wheel-chair bound for most of the time, ordered to avoid all unnecessary movements by Hank. It grated on her nerves; the once active Sienna was now forced to be pushed along by Kurt or whoever wanted to take her along. Kurt had been her guardian angel of sorts, always there to protect her and keep her from despairing. Kurt, meanwhile, was smiling a secretive smile as he felt the small box tap against his torso as they made their way along.

Stopping at the enclosed Japanese gardens, Kurt pushed her wheelchair towards a small table form which flowed candle light, the smell of chocolate fondue and the aroma of her favourite wine. Near the table was a speaker from which soft melodies flowed and added to the romantic mood. As she looked around confusedly, Kurt got down on one bended knee and pulled out the small box. Sienna gasped at the lid came off and stared at the engagement ring. Kurt had enlisted the help of Jean for her incredible taste in jewellery and the small diamonds were nestled around a larger diamond in the centre. Speaking softly, Kurt smiled at her.

"Sienna Tatiana Natalyaa Stryker, you make me the happiest person in the world if you accept this. Will you be my wife?"

Sienna squealed and launched herself at Kurt. Wrapping their arms around each other, they kissed passionately and Kurt pulled away with an impish smile. "Does that mean a yes?"

"YES," Sienna yelled out and blushed as Kurt slid the engagement ring onto her ring finger. Then, they kissed again as the growing crowd cheered and threw confetti at the two. Smiling widely, Kurt picked Sienna up and placed her back into the wheelchair and smoothed her hair as he looked down at her with sparkling and tearful eyes. Then, he took her back to the medical lab and transferred her back into her bed. Giving her a peck on the cheek, he watched as she closed her eyes and slept with a smile on her lips....


	9. Marriage Vows 101

Note: This is the soppiest chapter so far so please skip it if you don't like lots of romance. This is not the end...

Chapter 9:

The wedding plans commenced with much enthusiasm on the parts of both Kurt and Sienna. The Mansion was abuzz with the news of every detail to do with the wedding and the kids were constantly peeking into things they were not supposed to. The real excitement, however, came with the delivery of the wedding dress to Sienna. Every girl wanted to peek at the dress and Sienna only laughed before shaking her head and answering that it would be a surprise for the big day. Locking the door securely on the dress, she pocketed the key and smirked at the long train of disappointed girls in front of her trying to get past. Then, she appeased them slightly by announcing that there would be a wedding shower held in two weeks in Jean's living quarters and that all the girls could attend. The girls scurried off to concoct plans of wedding presents and secret stashes of goodies for the bride-to-be.

The wedding shower went well, but then the wedding day loomed. Kurt had his traditional bucks night and Sienna had her hen's night at the same time. She confided in her girlfriends that she was nervous as hell and they gathered around her carefully. The next morning, Sienna slipped away into her room as the rest slept on. Sitting at her vanity, she began to brush her hair and squealed when she saw Kurt standing in the doorway.

"Kurt! You are not supposed to see the bride before the wedding. Its bad luck!" she admonished him gently and kissed him on the cheek.

Kurt chuckled. "My love, nothing would keep me away from you. You are beautiful..."

"Go on, shoo then so I can stun you at the ceremony," she giggled as her lips brushed his cheek.

Pushing him out the door, she smiled as he walked away and shook her head in mock irritation. Closing the door, she went to the dress and slipped it on. Feeling the luxury of the satiny smooth material, she twirled in front of the mirror and then sat gently as she began to apply her makeup with one hand and fix her hair with the other. As she tried to get her hair to stay together, she hard the squeals of her bridesmaids as they saw her dress and mobbed her in a group hug. Then, they began to fuss over her as the efficient women started to join everything together...

---

Kurt shuffled nervously as he waited in the pavilion for the start of the wedding march. Beside him were his groomsmen: Scott, Logan, Hank, Bobby Drake, Piotr and Remy. Logan had even managed to shave and look quite handsome in his tuxedo, though he constantly pulled at the cravat Kurt had forced him to wear. As the wedding march piped up, the flower girls made their way down the aisle hand in hand with the page boys. Then, the men blinked in shock as along the path walked the bridesmaids: Rogue, Illyana, Storm, Psylocke and as maid of honour, Jean Grey. Taking the arms of each groomsman, Rogue blushed as she took the offered arm of Remy. Sienna had chosen well, simple red gowns were the attire of the bridesmaids with strapless bodices and elbow-length red gloves of the same hue as the dresses to the relief of Rogue.

Then, the congregation stood as the wedding march played again and down the aisle walked Sienna Stryker, with Xavier acting the part of her father. Stepping daintily down the carpet, the mutant was a picture of perfection. Dyed black hair was pulled back into a stunning display of bobby pins underneath a long gauze veil that obscured her face. Her body was clad in a slim, form-fitting dress of white satin that showed off her body and the scoop neckline was the crowning glory. The skirts fell daintily down her legs in waves and white sandals lined her feet with beading along the top of the shoe. Basically, she was divine and Xavier could not hold back a tear at the sight of his student as he took her down the aisle. Walking to Kurt, she took his hand and moved up the steps to face the Catholic priest from the local Catholic Church. Father Shaun O'Riley was his name, a known friend of mutants so he had not reacted in any way to the crowd of students who had turned out for the event of momentous proportions. It was the only marriage to be celebrated on the campus itself, as Jean and Scott had gotten hitched in a different state.

Kurt could only blink back tears as he stood there and watched his bride. She was perfect today, and he felt so woefully inadequate and totally clumsy right then, as if he didn't deserve such a beautiful girl. Smiling as nobody objected to the marriage, Kurt breathed a sigh of relief as the vows came up and both of them repeated the vows after the Priest.

"I. Kurt Wagner take thee, Sienna Tatiana Natalyaa Stryker to be my lawfully wedded wife. To love and to cherish, to comfort and care for, in sickness or in health, for richer or poorer, for better or for worse, for as long as I shall live."

"I, Sienna Tatiana Natalyaa Stryker take thee, Kurt Wagner to be my lawfully wedded husband. To have and to hold, to love and to obey, in sickness or in health, for richer or for poorer, for better or for worse, for as long as I shall live."

Then, the priest motioned the first pageboy over who produced the rings on a pillow. Taking the first one, Kurt intoned the words "With this ring, I thee wed" and then slipped the ring over each knuckle symbolically before letting it rest on the base next to her engagement ring.

Taking the other ring, Sienna intoned the words "With this ring, I thee wed" and then slipped the ring over each knuckle symbolically before letting it rest on the base of his finger.

As the Priest pronounced his blessing over them, they knelt on the ground as he sprinkled holy water over them and made the sign of the cross over their forms. Standing, Kurt flung back the veil and kissed Sienna gently as the crowd cheered happily. Pulling apart, they nodded and the priest announced in a loud voice "I now present to you Mr and Mrs Kurt Wagner" and the crowd lifted the roof with their cheering as their voices rose and the married couple walked down the aisle under a cloud of confetti and rice towards the celebrations and banquets Charles had announced in their honour.

---

Walking into their new room, Kurt let his gaze fall on his wife and smiled. Touching her face, he kissed her lingeringly as she looked up at him with such innocence that he melted. He was so caught up in the kiss that he failed to notice that they were both stripping off and walking towards the double bed. As they made love to each other through the night, Sienna could feel him knowing herself more intimately than any man had before and she relished it with passion.

The next morning, she lay still as they cradled each other in their arms. Sighing, she stretched delicately and woke her husband carefully. Kissing him on the cheek, she let her body drape his as she played with his hair. "Good morning, sleepyhead' she piped cheekily as she pecked him and then moved off the bed. Slipping into a bathrobe, she stood by the window as he put his arms on her shoulder. Looking up, she smiled before staring out at the grounds.

"A penny for your thoughts, my liebchen?" asked Kurt carefully.

Sienna smiled. "I was just thinking about how far we have come, Kurt...."

Leaning over, he planted a kiss on her cheek and stroked her hair as they looked out into the new spring day and the new life that had been born....


	10. Battle Inevitable

Chapter 10:

The married bliss of Sienna and Kurt's lives ended abruptly after three weeks. Human fanatics had struck again, setting off a car bomb in a crowded mutant area and killing hundreds of innocent mutants. Pictures were broadcast directly to the X-Men and Sienna crowded around their television with Nightcrawler and the other Faculty as they watched the news feed. The picture of children killed in the blast sent tears rolling down the cheeks of most of those watching and made the others grit their teeth in anger. Xavier was highly worried as he watched the feed in his own private office. Sighing, he looked out the window towards the east and sent a mental prayer up in his mind.

:::Please, don't let Eric retaliate:::

---

Magneto sat hunched in his bedroom chair watching the news broadcast the horrific bomb blast at the mutant community. Under his calm visage, his rage was bubbling faster and harder as his eyes took in the devastation, the carnage of the blast and the heart-rending reality that these people were dead. As his eyes scanned the faces of the dead, his gaze settled on a small child's face marred by scorch marks and blood. She had been a visitor to Mystique's mansion many times, Emily her name was. She had been Mystique's ward of sorts and Magneto groaned as he closed his eyes to block the sight of poor Emily's body. Raven must be heartbroken right now, he spoke in his mind as his eyes opened and he switched off the television. Going to his closet, he took out his robe and smoothed the front of the outfit. Laying it gently and reverently on his bed, he drew out the infamous helmet and touched it carefully as he smoothed his hand over the exterior. Placing it on his head and closing his eyes, he felt the power rise in his worn body and slowly his eyes opened to reveal blue-grey orbs filled with anger. Marching off after changing into the robes, Magneto assembled his team in a small common room. Looking around, he stared at Wanda, Pietro, Mystique, Sabretooth and Toad and spoke slowly.

"The time for action has come..."

The team sent out yells of approval as they rallied behind him and took off in their aircraft. Looking down at the base, Magneto sighed and then focused on the inevitable battle ahead...


	11. Thoughts To Ponder

Chapter 11:

Sienna stood in front of her locker and stared at her long-disused uniform in quiet reflection. Stripping down to her lingerie, she adjusted the straps of her bra and took out a small roll of tape from a small metal box. Pulling off her ring, she smiled and kissed it softly before placing it in the box and wrapping her body with the tape. Since the time she had come close to death, Hank had ordered her to be careful and to protect her body so she had brought this tape to cushion her internal organs. Wrapping her hands in the tape, she slipped on the gloves carefully. The atrophied muscles in her body had been built-up carefully and she was stronger than before. Stretching, she slipped on the uniform and smoothed it down the front lovingly. Walking out, she went straight to her husband and kissed him on the cheek softly. Looking at him, she smiled and then slithered past him onto the Blackbird and took her seat as she fastened the belt carefully over her buckle. Looking at her hands, she flexed one into a fist absently before listening to the briefing as the Blackbird took off out from under the basketball court.

Scott spoke with authority in his voice as she looked at his team assembled before him. "Kurt, you will use your teleportation to rescue others that may be in trouble. Logan, you, Jean, Storm and I are the main offensives. Remy, you will antagonise the opponents only when you get a clear shot and without injuring the others. We do not want our team being hurt in your charged explosions, got it?" Remy nodded slowly as he looked at Rogue.

Scott continued. "Rogue, you, Piotr, Pyro and Bobby will act as backup if we need it. Otherwise, you stay out of sight."

Then, he looked at Sienna pointedly before speaking. "Sienna, be careful and don't exhaust yourself. You will be responsible for the mental bombardment of the Brotherhood and cleanup after that. The public must be unaware of anything that happens so you must create an illusion to convince them that what they see is not really. Any opponents you judge as weak, attack them first but do not get near Magneto at any cost. "

Sienna nodded as her eyes began to glow a queer colour and the tendrils began to grow in her mind. Scott smiled and then ordered Storm to put the Blackbird down quietly in a deserted area. Unloading the team, Scott eyed the chaos in front of him and sighed as he saw Magneto's goons on the attack. Cars lay everywhere and people were running from the roadway where Magneto stood with his arms stretched out. Three cars were suspended in the air and inside them were people clinging to the insides. Scott let out an optic blast at Magneto and sprinted towards him followed by the offensive team. Hanging back, Sienna turned at a noise and saw the unmistakable forms of the rest of the Brotherhood minus Mystique and Sabretooth. Avalanche took the initiative and sent an earth tremor towards the group, knocking them off their feet and sending Rogue into the nearby wall. Seeing Rogue lying there stunned, Sienna turned and sighed in irritation. Laughing, she directed her verbal taunt at Wanda with a sneer in Russian.

:::Your mother was Magneto's whore, Wanda:::

Drawing Wanda away, Sienna sprinted off down the alleyway and began a cat and mouse game with the enraged hex-warper. Smirking, the manipulator simply moved away every time Wanda got near. Drawing a hex-bolt, Wanda attacked the girl but Sienna darted out of the way and the bolt simply dissipated as it hit something else. Firing the bolts in rapid succession, Wanda, in desperation, charged her opponent but Sienna simply sent her flying into a wall. Hitting it head first, Wanda gave out a groan and collapsed unconscious as Sienna raised herself from the ground where the Balkan girl had vaulted over her back.

---

Dusting herself off, the manipulator sniggered and spoke quietly. "Well, so much for that fight..."

A voice suddenly snarled from the darkness in Russian. :::You attacked my sister, impudent girl. Now, you die:::

Sienna looked around and saw two ice-blue eyes glowing dangerously in the darkness and raised her eyebrows. Then, she answered him back in faltering Russian. :::I am only doing what I must, Pietro. You of all people should know that.:::

The man stepped out with his eyes blazing. "You have no right to attack us, we are only revenging ourselves against the scum that hate us. Why don't you hate them? You know what your father did to you..."

Sienna shook her head. "I made my peace with that a long time ago, Pietro. Have you? You still fight against those who have done nothing to revenge your past. Why not accept that humans are flawed but most do not deserve being slaughtered for the sins of others?"

Pietro glared at her. "You should be angry but you are not. Does living with the past not make you hurt, make you angry?"

"My past is just that, the past," Sienna answered evenly. "Don't make me out to be a saint, I'm not. Nobody is these days, I have flaws just like you and I still remember what that man did to me. But these people did nothing, they have not harmed you in any way yet you go after them to kill them. Your master Magneto is doing the same thing that the Nazis did to his people. They killed off the Jews and Gypsies and others simply because they were a different race, had different genetics. Doesn't that mean the same as what Magneto is doing now? Killing because people are different than them, have different genetics. You are aiding him in creating another Holocaust..."

"You don't understand..." Pietro snarled.

Sienna nodded. "No, I don't and I never will. We grew up in different circles, you had a different upbringing to me but we are both mutants, both children of the Atom. Would you kill another of your race simply to prove your point? Are you so much of a bully that you would slaughter innocents who are different? Are you truly so cold-blooded, so...human?"

Pietro stiffened and his hands clenched at his sides. Then, they relaxed and he looked at her. "Nyett." Walking over to his sister, he picked her up and cradled her in his arms as he eyed Sienna. Studying her, he smiled quickly before speaking.

"We will meet again..."

Then, he raced off with his sister in his arms as Sienna stiffened. She felt herself shake as she realised how easily he could have killed her then and there. Rubbing her forehead, she pondered his words thoughtfully and made a mental note to talk to Xavier about it when she got back. Then, she began to walk back to join the fight...


	12. Magneto vs Sienna or Heat II

Chapter 12:

The fight had been won, but at terrible cost. Rogue had been injured by Avalanche early on in the confrontation and Wolverine had been assaulted by Magneto, though he had slowly begun to heal with his genetic mutation. Kurt had been kind enough to teleport Logan out of the fight, though this meant he was effectively out of it. The rest had received only minor injuries in the course of the confrontation and Remy's explosions had helped defeat most of the Brotherhood. As Sienna made her way back from her conversation with Quicksilver, she frowned as she saw most of her team mates down and out, leaving her the only one standing at the time. Quickly, she ran towards Magneto and stood there resolutely as he raised his hands in triumph.

"Oy, bug eyed! Forget about me?" Sienna taunted as she faced him and he turned to view her with coldness.

Magneto laughed coldly. "One little girl is no match for me..."

Sienna gave him a hard look as she gestured to the surroundings. "Maybe next time you should think before starting a temper tantrum, eh? The brave and glorious Master of Magnetism can't even dispose of one little girl or keep himself above his anger. Shame on you..."

Kurt glanced up and shouted out as he raised a hand in warning. "Liebchen, no! Get away from him..."

Sienna just shook her head and then turned back to Magneto. The man spoke coldly to her as he moved his hands down. "When will you people ever learn? This is the enemy, can't you fools see that?"

His opponent only laughed. "You are just like the humans, you know that? Still so blinded by hate that you kill all those who don't agree with you. I am not afraid of you because I see you for what you really are, a bigoted old man who is so disillusioned that he has to go around killing others who don't agree. You are becoming just like the people who killed your family, do you know that? You are just like the Nazis..."

Enraged, Magneto raised his hands towards her but nothing happened as he tried to find some metal in her body to manipulate. Sienna only laughed and spoke quietly to him. "You should know by now that the daughter of Stryker cannot be manipulated by others. I am very much my father's daughter in many ways but I am not his heir in the prejudice department. You assume that you can kill me or even manipulate me and you assume wrong..."

Magneto glanced up as the thunder of a chopper echoed through the air. In the cockpit was Mystique with one blue finger raised insultingly at Sienna. As it came nearer, Magneto began to rise in the air and spoke with a parting shot.

"This is not the end, girl..."

Then, he walked calmly into the plane as it flew away. Looking at the disappearing plane, Sienna sighed and closed her eyes softly. Holding out a hand as the people began to crowd around, she touched the minds of each and began to manipulate as an illusion began to weave around the battlefield. Sighing as she wiped all traces of the terror from their minds, Sienna walked away as the tendrils pulled back from the unsuspecting humans and walked to Rogue. Taking her body in her arms, Sienna walked onto the Blackbird and began to tend to the girl's head injuries. Entering the teenager's mind, Sienna began to soothe the psyche as she manipulated and probed gently to wipe out all the fight-induced trauma. Then, she strapped an icepak to the wound as Storm took off in the air towards the Institute with most sporting minor bumps and bruises. The only seriously hurt one was Rogue and Sienna looked over her with a slightly worried look on her face as the plane soared over the city that never sleeps. Then, it veered away towards Westchester and the Xavier Institute...


	13. Job Description vs Reality

Chapter 13:

Sienna rested her arms on her desk in exhaustion as she searched through her schedule for tomorrow and rubbed her temples to dispel the stress that had been hovering around her mind all day. This was not what she was used to and she still got quite tired these days. Shortly after the battle, Xavier had elected the mutant as the welfare/social worker/councillor for the Institute which meant that she also took on the responsibility of being a liaison officer for new students. The new job meant that Sienna had needed to forego most of her schoolwork in order to graduate from student to Faculty member, which had been a relief for the mutant. Teaching also took pride of place, with Sienna also being allowed to tutor students and teach religious studies and mythology/classical studies. The night of the announcement, Xavier had also told her in private that she was now a student advisor, taking on most of the newer students as their 'mentor'. She had baulked at that but had soon accepted that she should take a more active role in the lives of her students and had accepted reluctantly. That had been three months ago and she had noticed that for some reason, she had been given most of the students who had tougher pasts, anger or hate-filled attitudes, loners, strange and/or dangerous genetic mutations and the ones that the other faculty staff didn't want to worry about. The social work side of things increased her workload, meaning that she was increasingly called upon by Xavier to intervene in cases, search out mutants and negate the effects of erupting powers or accidents by uncontrolled mutants. One of the tougher cases had happened this week and she was still drained emotionally.

Looking down as she rubbed her temples, Sienna sighed and shook her head in disbelief. Scheduled in were three official counselling sessions, a danger room session, lectures to teach, students to settle in and a very long informal counselling time plus cooking dinner for the younger students. As she closed her schedule tiredly, she could feel the mental caress of Xavier in her mind. Letting him in, she leaned back against the chair and sighed,

:::Yes, Xavier? Do you have another favour to ask me?:::

The voice laughed slightly. :::No, my dear. There is a new student coming in about half an hour. Would you greet her and bring her to my office when she is ready?:::

Sienna smiled. :::Do you really have to ask?:::

:::I don't suppose I do but it is better to ask anyway::: came the mental brush.

Sienna nodded. :::Send me the details then and I will try my best, Xavier:::

The intrusion disappeared and the new email tone came a few seconds later as Sienna moved her chair over to her laptop and clicked on the icon. Scanning through the profile, Sienna mused as she filed the necessary details in her mind for later use and pressed the print button. Filing it in the inbox tray on the desk, she placed it on top of the other profiles and sighed. Standing, she stretched delicately and then padded towards the stairs.

---

Changing quickly, she walked to the window half an hour later and saw the far gates open slowly before walking down gracefully and stopping at the entrance. Smoothing down her skirt as the taxi came to a halt in front of the door, Sienna took a deep breath and walked towards the sole occupant of the back seat. Two long braids of flaxen hair fell along the back of the girl as she tried to pull one of the suitcases out of the boot but Sienna intervened and took the heavier of the two. Paying the cab driver, she watched as he drove away and then shook the hand of the girl.

"Welcome to the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, my dear. My name is Sienna Wagner, I'm the liaison officer for the new students. You must be Paige Guthrie, am I correct?"

The girl nodded. "Yes, ma'am." A southern twang in her accent made a pleasant impression in the empty hallway as Sienna stored the suitcases in the closet downstairs. Then, she straightened up and smiled sweetly. Her dulcet voice held the slightest sense of irritation as she addressed the bewildered girl.

"You don't have to call me ma'am, Paige. That term makes me sound so old and I'm barely 26. I prefer my name so please, call me Sienna."

Paige frowned slightly before nodding. "Yes, Sienna."

The councillor smiled politely and linked an arm in Paige's. "Please, feel free to treat this as your home, my dear. I'm sure Sam will fill you in on any details you might not understand, this is your home and you must treat it so. We have..."

Paige quickly interrupted. "Mah brother is hearh?"

Sienna nodded as she spied Sam Guthrie lurking around near her peripheral vision. "In fact, I believe he is right here behind you..."

Squealing, Paige threw herself fully into the arms of her brother as Sienna watched and tried to unblock her ear from the effects of Paige's scream. Then, she spoke quietly but with authority to the older Guthrie sibling. "Sam, can you please take your sister to Professor Xavier and then get her settled?"

Sam nodded and led his blubbering sister away as Sienna smiled and made her way back to her office.

----

Throwing herself back in her chair, Sienna began to flick through her emails and then made herself a cup of hot chocolate from the kettle in her room. Sighing, she sipped slowly from the mug and cursed as her anti-virus software flashed, indicating a virus had been caught. Opening the box, she sighed as she saw a dozen worms and viruses in her software and began to tedious process of deleting and wiping the files. She was so engrossed in the cleanup that she squealed when a pair of hands suddenly grabbed her eyes and threw the contents of the mug at her attacker. A muffled yell sounded and then the hands moved to show a bemused Kurt Wagner covered in hot chocolate behind her.

He laughed. "Liebchen, did you really have to do dat?"

Sienna laughed and shook her head. "What do you expect if an unexpected man comes and tries to cover you eyes, hmm?

Kurt's face fell. "I vould not have done dat if I had known you did not hear me come in..."

Sienna got up and sponged Kurt down as best she could. Kissing him on the lips, she rubbed his neck with a hand and whispered as they drew apart. "You look better in brown, anyway..."

Tickling her, Kurt smiled widely and his fangs showed. "Then I vill let you cover me anytime."

Sienna kissed him fully and then pushed a pile of paperwork to one side. "How about we go out for dinner, just you and me?"

"Ya," Kurt agreed. "Vhere do you vant to go, my sweet Liebchen?"

Sienna smiled. "I feel like Italian tonight, my love."

Her husband grinned. "Italian it is, my sweet love." Then, he pushed her out the door and they walked up to change together as the email tone in her box sounded again and then the screen went dark...


	14. Baby Blues

Chapter 14:

Sienna was bored, bored out of her brain. Staring out the window into the mist that came from the river nearby, she cupped her hands on the windowsill and followed the raindrops down the glass silently. Then, she smiled and turned her face to the door as her husband walked in and switched off the image inducer. Walking over, the now-revealed mutant put his arms around his love and kissed her cheek softly as she touched his stubbled face in love. Then, she turned in his embrace and kissed him on the lips as he chuckled softly.

Sienna sighed and leant against his chest wearily. "Kurt, I have something to tell you..."

Kurt's teeth gleamed in the light as he grinned and kissed her on the neck. "Vhat do you vant to tell me, mine own sweet Liebchen?"

Sienna smiled and pressed his hand to her stomach. "What do you feel?"

Kurt looked down and frowned as he moved his hand over the stomach area. "I feel..." Then, he looked at her in silence. "Vhas is dast?"

"We, my dear Kurt Wagner, are going to have a baby." She laughed as his expression changed to one of shock and he dropped his hand like it was burning.

"We are going to have a baby?" he parroted softly and she nodded. Kurt then began to whoop in German and spurt from place to place as Sienna laughed and tried to keep track of the exited mutant. Then, he stopped mid-air and twisted back to his youthful wife. "How long? How long have you known?"

Sienna kissed him tenderly. "Since the night after Magneto's attack. In effect, the baby is three months old today, I'm sure of it."

Kurt smiled and caressed her slightly protruding stomach in awe. "Does anyone else know? Have you told anyone?"

Sienna shook her head carefully. "Xavier might have an inkling but nobody else has any idea and I intend to keep it that way. There are too many dangers to my child out there, so I will keep it secret until I can't avoid it. Already I'm growing larger, I went from a size 8 to a size 11 in three months but I've hidden it well. Do not worry, my sweet husband."

Kurt looked at his wife's face and saw it glowing with beauty. This was a large shock. "You must sleep then, my liebchen. Sleep is gutt for the baby, you vill need it to keep your strength up."

Sienna nodded and lay back against the pillows on their double bed. Then, she looked up at her husband with creased brow. "Kurt, are you happy to have this baby?"

The blue-skinned mutant nodded. "Of course, how could I not? Dis is vhat I have always vanted for my entire life. Now, sleep..."

Sienna nodded back and snuggled up against her pillow as she drifted off to sleep. Whispering a German lullaby and stroking her hair, Kurt pulled the blankets out from under her and covered her frame with them. Tucking them around her body, he stood and moved to the window as his lips moved in silent thanks to God.

---

Turning, he looked at the form of his wife and fingered his wedding ring as he sensed a presence in the room. Xavier's mind drifted into his and spoke in an amused tone as Kurt started in shock and then relaxed.

:::Kurt, you sound exceptionally amused tonight. May I come in and talk to both you and Sienna?:::

:::Certainly, Herr Xavier::: came Kurt's reply. :::However, Sienna is asleep, she is very tired tonight. Vhould you like to speak with just me?:::

:::Certainly, Kurt:::. With that, the tell-tale squeak of Xavier's wheelchair sounded in the still air as he poked his head in the door. Looking at the form of Sienna with creased brows, he beckoned Kurt out of the door.

Starting down the deserted halls, the two walked in silence until Charles spoke tactfully to the German mutant.

"Kurt, what in the world got you so excited? I could hear you in my room down the hall, you were so loud."

Kurt looked away for a few seconds and smiled a mysterious smile. "Just a little surprise, Professor. Something I did not anticipate came up tonight and I lost control. I am sorry..."

Xavier waved away his apology. "Does this have anything to do with Sienna, my friend?"

Kurt nodded slowly. "She is pregnant, Professor and I just found out about it."

Charles started in shock as the words registered in his brain. This was one thing he did not anticipate Kurt saying to him. Looking at the smiling German shrewdly, his voice quavered as his face flushed slightly.

"You are sure of this, Kurt? Congratulations, I am delighted for you both. Fully delighted."

Kurt laughed. "Danke, Herr Xavier. Please do not tell the others about this yet. We must keep it a secret for safety's sake; otherwise the whole Institute will be talking about it and nothing else. For the baby's safety, we cannot let anyone else know until it is too noticeable to hide."

He lowered his voice slightly as he looked around. "You know what Magneto and Weapon X would do if they found out that Sienna was pregnant, they would attack the Mansion again and kill her. This child is a legacy, one they would like to stifle as soon as they hear about it. I won't risk the life of my family, the life of my child..."

Xavier frowned and then assented. "Your secret is safe with me, Kurt. How along is she?"

Kurt shrugged. "I think Sienna mentioned three months at best."

The Principal and mentor smiled. "It will be good to hear the pitter patter of tiny feet along the halls and the childish laughter in the Mansion. This baby will be welcome from the very start, Kurt."

Kurt only nodded before looking up rapidly and disappearing in a cloud of sulphur as Xavier smiled to himself and then made his way back to his personal chambers.

---

Sienna was bending over her work desk a few weeks later as she rubbed her stomach thoughtfully and adjusted the large top to hide the bulge in her stomach. She could feel the womb expand and decrease in size as she breathed in and out deeply to regulate her breathing. Then, she gasped as a wave of nausea flooded over her. It wasn't morning sickness or anything like that; instead it was painful and burning.

Feeling the protruding abdomen harder, she gritted her teeth and shook her head in fear as she spoke. "No, my baby! Where is my baby?!"

Gasping, she fell onto her side as the pain increased and clutched her body. Sending an ear-shattering scream along the astral plane, she tried to grasp the sides of the desk to stand again but fell back down as she felt blood spurt out onto the floor. As Jean came rushing in, alerted by the scream, Sienna kept murmuring the same thing over and over as she slowly lost consciousness.

"Save my baby..."

Upstairs, Xavier frowned as the backlash of Sienna's scream split the air and made the occupants look up quizzically. Kurt yelled in pain at the sudden jar to his mind and blanched white. "My Liebchen..."

Logan and Scott had been cleaning the Blackbird when the scream had come and looked at each other before sprinted up the stairs. Reaching the medical lab at the same time Kurt teleported there, the three looked at each other. Jean had run with Sienna in her arms to the medical lab and shut the door in Kurt's face firmly. All the others could do now was wait as the screams of Sienna rent the air and then ominous silence fell in the Mansion...


	15. The Tangled Webs We Weave

Chapter 15:

Kurt paced nervously outside the closed door three hours later as he waited for news of his wife and baby. Logan and Scott had left a few minutes after the screams had stilled and Kurt was the only one left. Biting a nail, he frowned as his hands quivered and he looked up quickly as the door opened. Out stepped Jean, her eyes pooling with tears and her hands clenched at her sides as she pushed it ajar slightly and faced the anxious mutant.

"Well?" asked Kurt emotionally and Jean sighed.

"Your wife is resting, Kurt, I gave her a strong sedative to calm her and its put her to sleep. She lost a lot of blood but she is stabilized and regaining her strength. She...she is very upset about the baby, it died in her womb a few hours ago and we couldn't save your son. I'm so sorry, Kurt..."

Jean placed a small hand on his shoulder and then left without a word as Kurt walked in numbly. Glancing at the small cloth-wrapped infant, he walked over and opened it to see the son he had longed for. Then, he pushed it away silently and went to Sienna. Taking her hand, he squeezed it gently and spoke softly to his young wife.

"Ach, Liebchen, how do we go on from here? I am very sad about the baby but if you had died with our son then I could not live with myself. I never knew exactly how much I loved you until now and I am not worthy to have such a perfect woman as my wife. You are everything to me, now I know what the angels in heaven are like and why God takes such pleasure in them. One of them is lying in that bed clutching my hand and she is perfect in every single way. You are the one whom I love the most; we can have other children in time. While I love our son whom you bore for so long, there is only one Sienna Wagner. I will never let you die, that is my vow to you. This I promise you, my sweet liebchen. We will have another baby soon to replace the son we have lost..."

Then, he kissed her on the brow as he trailed off when she opened her eyes slowly and blinked. Helping her sit up, Kurt stroked her head softly as she cried into his chest. Looking up, her bottom lip quivered as she stared at him and spoke mournfully.

"It's my fault, Kurt. I lost the baby and I'm so sorry. I killed our son..."

Kurt gathered her in his arms. "Shh, liebchen. You did nothing of the sort; you did nothing wrong for this wasn't your fault. Our son is safe with God now, you loved him and that makes our son special. You did not kill our baby!"

Sienna sighed and then drifted back to sleep as Kurt placed her head on the pillows and sat next to his love, clasping her fingers tightly.

---

The next week, a small graveside service was conducted near the Chinese Weeping Willow Sienna loved so much. Holding a small blue teddy bear and a rose, Sienna stood pale in black as the casket of her infant son was lowered into the ground next to a small marble headstone. They had named him Charles Patrick Wagner and that was engraved on the headstone with a bible verse in German and English. One by one, the guests slipped away after placing a rose on the casket until only the parents were left there next to the open grave. Kneeling down, Sienna placed her gifts onto the casket and then cried into her chest as Kurt supported her. He had already shed his tears privately so he stood there looking down as she cried and whispered a bible verse in German.

Hugging his wife, he cradled her in his arms and they walked back into the Mansion and up the stairs. Lying down on the bed, Sienna fell into tortured and tear-filled sleep as Kurt pondered a sentence that had popped into his head.

"Oh, the tangled webs we weave..."


End file.
